Rotary pump



N. LAMPHERE ROTARY PUMP Feb. 27, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 6,1945 /vA THAN AMP/1ERE Feb. 27, 1951 N. LAMPHERE 2,543,633

gmc/whom NA THAN LAM/HERE Patented Feb. 27, 1951 ROTARY PUMP NathanLamphere, Ironton, Minn.. assigner, by

meme assignments, to Hanna Coal 0re Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, lcorporation of Delaware Application December., 1945, Serial No. 633,098

(CL 10B-104) l 2 Claims.

My invention relatesI to an improvement in rotary pump wherein it isdesired to provide Val more efficient and effective design.

An object of the present invention resides in the provision of a rotarypump with an'itake on both sides of the impeller. lThe volute easingenclosing the impeller is so arranged that the duid to be pumped mayenter the impeller from opposite sides thereof. As a result the pressureagainst the impeller is balanced, thus reducing or eliminating endthrust upon the impeller shaft.

A further object of the present invention lies in the provision of arotary pump having a double or multiple discharge. By discharging fluidat equally spaced points about the periphery of the volute casing theside thrust on the impeller and shaft is balanced or equalized. thusreducing friction on the pump bearings and eliminating the necessity forproviding a bearing at the extreme end of the impeller shaft.

A further object of the present invention lies in the provision of aninterceptor or splitter which is inserted in the volute chamber at thedischarge orifices. This interceptor or splitter extends substantiallyinto contact with the vanes of the impeller to compel all fluid to leavethrough the discharge openings and to prevent the recirculation of uidin the volute chamber.

A feature of the present invention resides in providing an interceptoror splitter which is removably attached to the inner surface of thevolute chamber and is renewable or replaceable. Thus if wear takes placein the operation of the pump the splitter may be replaced to provide thesmallest possible clearance between the impeller and the splitter at thedischarge openings. These interceptors or splitters are likewiseadvantageous in that they may be replaced or adjusted to provide thenecessary clearance for the type of fluid being pumped.

My pump has no suction value and the volute casing must be immersed sothat at least one inlet opening to the impeller is below the surface ofthe fluid. However, my pump is so arranged that should the fluid inwhich it is immersed be temporarily exhausted, it will continue to holdfluid in the discharge column as long as the pump continues to rotate.As a result the return surge of liquid through the pump into the sump inwhich the pump is located is eliminated. The reason for this result isdue to the fact that no vacuum is created in the pump itself or in thesuction line connected thereto.

A feature of the present invention resides in the fact that no packing.seals or wearing rings are required between the impeller or the impellershaft and volute casing. The double intake and double discharge featureseliminate excess side or 'f end thrust against the impeller shaftallowing the shaft to be supported by a bearing located at a substantialdistance from the impeller. Furthermore as no suction is to be createdwithin the pump or within the intake to the impeller the volute casingneed not be sealed relative to the impeller to produce the desiredpumping action. The elimination of packing, seals and wearing rings andthe elimination of metallic contact between the impeller or the shaftand the volute casing permits the pump to run indenitelywithout beingimmersed in fluid without creating undue heat due to friction.Furthermore the elimination of such packing, seals, and the like permitsthe impeller to rotate freely and with a minimum of friction.

A- further feature of the present invention resides in the provision ofan impeller having a series of curved blades or vanes which areconnected by a central supporting web. As a result the fluid enteringfrom either side of the volute casing is forced by the vanes or bladesfrom the volute chambers.

A further feature of the present invention resides in the provision ofan impeller having a series of vanes or blades supported by a centralweb and in forming this web so'that it does not extend to the fulldiameter of the impeller between adlacent blades or vanes. As a resultthe fluid entering by one of the irnpeller intake openings may be urgedoutwardly by the full width of the impeller blades or vanes. The fullcapacity oi' the blades may thus be exerted against the fluid forpushing the fluid through the volute discharge even though the volutechamber is but partially submerged.

These and other objects and novel features of my invention will be moreclearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of my speciflcation:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of my pump showing the constructionthereof.

Figure 2 is a sectional view through the volute casing, the position ofthe section being indicated by the line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view through the impeller and volute, theposition of the section being indicated by the line 3 3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the pump in extended position.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the impeller.

u showing the construction thereof.

The pump A comprises a volute casing I0 having upper and lower closureplates I| and I2 connected thereto. The volute chamberIO includes twospirally shaped segments I3 and I4 which terminate on diametrlcallyopposite sides of the center oi the casing. The segments I3 and |4provide volute chambers which gradually increase in size and providediametrically opposed pump outlets I5 and I6. If desired one of theplates I I or. I2 may be formed integrally with the segments I3 and I4or these segments may be connected adjacent the discharge chamber toform a circular outlet.

Ii preferred, however, the segments I3 and I4 may be separately formedand held in proper relationship by removable closure plates Il and I2.Within each of the segments I3 and I4, I provide a splitter orturbulence interceptor I1. The splitters or turbulence interceptor |1are removably attached to the segments I3 and I4 by bolts I3. As aresult these splitters may be removed and replaced or may be changed toprovide a greater clearance between the end of the splitter and theimpeller.

Each of the splitters I1 are provided with an edge which extends inclosely adjacent relation to the blades or vanes of the impeller as itrotates. The clearance between the splitters and the blades may beregulated by adjusting the position of the splitter I1 or by replacingone set of splitters with a second set which provides the desiredclearance. This feature is of importance in view of the fact thatdifferent clearances are desirable while handling different types offluids.

The impeller is formedas best illustrated in Figure 5 of the drawings. Acentral sleeve or hub 22 is provided with a center aperture designed toaccommodate the shaft 23. The shaft 23 is held in place within the hub22 by means of threaded engagement or by any other suitable means. A web2| extends outwardly from the sleeve 22 on a plane normal to the axis ofthe sleeve intermediate the ends of the sleeve. Vanes 24 of any desiredor preferred shape extend outwardly from a point spaced from theintermediate sleeve 22 to the periphery of the impeller. The shape ofthe blades 24 is best determined by formula and the most eiicient bladeshape depends upon the amount of fluid to be pumped in a given time andthe type of uid being handled.

The blades 24 extend outwardly from both surfaces of the centralsupporting web 2| as best illustrated in the drawings. The web 2| is cutaway, however, so that its outer periphery does not' extend along thecircumference of a circle. The web 2| is cut away as indicated at 25,preferably from the end of each blade to an intermediate point on thenext adjacent blade. Thus a space is provided within the circumferenceof the impeller at the outer extremity of each blade to permit iiuid onone side of the web 2| to be acted upon by the full width of the blades24.

As best illustrated in Figure l of the drawings a pair of suspensionmembers 26 extend upwardly from the top closure plate I I. Thesesuspension members 26 are connected to a ring 21 at their upperextremity. This ring 21 is designed for attachment to thelange 29 of themotor housing 30 which encloses the motor acting to drive the pump. Themotor `is provided with the usual bearings for supporting the shaft 23and these bearings hold the impeller in proper position within thevolute casing I0.

The upper closure plate II is provided with an intake opening 3| thereinthrough which the shaft 23 extends. The lower closure plate I2 4 islikewise provided with an intake opening 32 which is coaxial with theopening 3|.. Thus when the impeller casing is submerged in fluid thisfluid may enter the impeller casing both 5 through the intake opening 3|and the intake opening 32 to thus produce a balanced force against theimpeller. As a result the end thrust against the shaft 23 is maintainedat a minimum.

The discharge openings I5 and I3 are connected by adapters 33 and 34 todischarge pipes 35 and 38 respectively. These discharge pipes areconnected by aligned connections 31 and 39 to a common dischargemanifold 4U. The manifold may be connected to any suitable pipe line orthe like to deliver fluid thereto.

A pair of angle brackets 4I and 42 are mounted in opposed relation onthe suspension 'members 26. These brackets 4| and 42 are for use insupporting a bearing 43 when it is necessary that the motor be supportedat a greater distance from the impeller. As best illustrated in Figure 4of the drawings a pair of suspension members 44 and 45, similar to thesuspension members 26 are connected at their upper extremity by amounting ring 46 and at their lower extremity by an attachment link 41.The ring 41 is designed to engage against the ring 21 on the suspensionmembers 26 and aligned apertures through rings 21 and 41 permitattachment of these rings by means of bolts 49 or other suitable means.'I'he ring 46 may then be attached to the flange 29 of the motor housing30 by bolts 50 or other suitable means.

When the suspension members 44 and 45 are attached in place the motorwithin the motor housing 30 is equipped with a longer motor shaft r5|which is supported by the bearing 43 attached by bolts 52 to the anglebrackets 4| and 42. A shield 53 is preferably provided on the shaft 5Ibeneath the bearing 43 to protect the bearing in the event uid shouldsuddenly iiow into the sump in which the pump is positioned.

For example should the electric power fail suddenly, the shield 53 willprevent the fluid from splashing into the bearing 43.

In operation of the pump the volute casing Ill is submerged below thelevel of liquid in the sump or the like. When current is supplied to themotor within the casing 30 the shaft 23 or 5| is rotated acting torotate the impeller. This impeller is rotated in a counter-clockwisedirection as viewed in Figures 2 and 5 of the drawings. 'Ihe fluidentering the inlets 3| and 32 is urged outwardly by the blades 24through the outlet passages I5 and I6. 'I'he edges 20 of the turbulenceinterceptors or `splitters extend sufiiciently close to the impeller toprevent the escape of an undue amount of iiuid. y o Should the liquidlevel drop to an extent when only the lower inlet 3| is submerged, iluidwill be forced outwardly by the portions of the blades 24 on theunderside of the web 2| until the fluid flows past the ends 25 of theweb 2|. The fluid g5 is then forced by the full width of the blades 24through the volute discharge openings.

It will be seen that the impeller may run freely within the volutecasing I0 and that no packing, rings, or the like are required betweenthe rotating impeller and the stationary casing. It will also be seenthat end thrust upon the impeller shaft is equalized when iluid isentering both inlet openings. It will also be noted that when the liquidlevel'has dropped suiciently so that only One of the inlets is open,water enters only through the lower inlet aperture 32, thus creating aforce to oppose the weight of the rotor and its shaft. It will furtherbe noted that at all times during the operation of the pump thedischarge therefrom is opposed, thus equalizing the force against theshaft. This is extremely important in view of the bearing support andthe impeller shaft.

It should also be noted that in the operation of my pump the fluid isforced into the discharge by the entire width of the blades even thoughthe intake is provided through but one of the intake openings. As aresult there is a constant force against the fluid in the dischargeline. As no suction is created within the pump casing or within theintakes thereto, there is no tendency for the fluid to be drawn backinto the pump when the liquid is exhausted. Furthermore as the impellerruns freely within the volute, there are no bearings to becomeoverheated in the event that there is no liquid in the sump to bepumped. In accordancev with the patent statutes, I have described theprinciples of construction and operation of my rotary pump, and while Ihave endeavored to set forth the best embodiments thereof, I desire tohave it understood that obvious changes may be made within the scope ofthe following claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A rotary pump including a volute housing, an impeller rotatablymounted therein, said impeller including an intermediate web and aseries of impeller blades projecting from opposite sides thereof, saidblades curving outwardly continus ously from their inner ends to theirouter extremities, said web extending to the outer extremity of each ofsaid blades at one side thereof and extending to a point substantiallyspaced from the outer extremity of the blades on the other sidesthereof. V

2. An impeller for a rotary pump including a ,central hub, a webextending outwardly from said hub, and a series of angularly spacedblades supported by said web and projecting on opposite sides thereof,said blades curving outwardly continuously from their inner ends totheir outer extremities, said web extending to the outer extremity ofeach blade on one side thereof and terminating at a point substantiallyspaced from the outer end of each blade on the other side thereof.

NATHAN LAMPHERE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 513,057 Poole Jan. 16, 1894616,576 Jennings Dec. 27, 189s 732,343 King Feb. 14, 1905 1,650,873 KayNov. 29, 1927 3,076,536 Noble apr. 13, 1937 2,130,940 wat sept. 20, 193s2,143,032 autumn Jan 10, 1939 2,247,313 Huitson July 1, 1941Y 2,260,130amener nec. 1e, 1941

